OK, your body is Free but what about your Soul?

A few decades ago, the tag line of an insurance company was “Freedom 55,” indicating that if we embraced their plan we would be able to retire at age 55. No longer. Of course some may still fantasize about an early retirement spent relaxing—free of any goals except golf and fishing. But in actuality most do not find that really satisfying, especially as health deteriorates. Most of us like to have goals, even if they are simple—something we can say we accomplished as we go to sleep at night. Cleaning up the garage. Cutting the grass. Weeding the flower beds. Paying the bills. Some have even more complicated goals; seeing Antarctica, building that dream house, serving in a short-term mission cause, running 5 miles a day.

Those of us who are Christians have a clear goal each day until God calls us home. It is called, SANCTIFICATION, the 15^th post in this series. In Sanctification, the goal is to get rid of all evil tendencies and become like Christ. “We who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with every-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18). “How is that possible?” you ask. Scripture answers, “through the Spirit”.

Our guiding motto could be “Freedom Forever!” For “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor. 3:17) and everyone who is redeemed has the Holy Spirit dwelling within. The Spirit’s work within us is to free us from all that besmirches the name of Christ and conform us to the image of Christ. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1).

The most essential fact of sanctification is that the yoke is broken; we have been set free from bondage to the sin nature within us. We are no longer slaves to our sinful tendencies to sexual lust or to losing our temper or to greed or prideful self-righteousness. The power of our old sin nature is broken. We are free!

Why then do we still sin? The old nature is still there within us. It wars with the new nature we have in Christ. “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do no use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature.…Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law [of bondage]” (Gal. 5:13, 16-18). Paul then goes on to list the acts of the sinful nature and the fruit of the Spirit which is “love, joy, peace….etc.” (See. Gal. 5:19-26.)

In each of the Paul’s prison epistles he discusses this internal war and urges us to put to death the deeds of the flesh, to fight the good fight of faith, to let the Spirit work out within us the freedom that is our heritage.

We daily face the goal of becoming more like Christ by fulfilling the potential of the new nature within us. The old nature battles against this goal. Since we can’t fight on all fronts at once, we should take it step by step. This great goal can be broken down into specific objectives such as emulating Christ’s kindness and compassion, his patience and love, his meekness and strength, his tranquility in turmoil and anger with hypocrisy, his wisdom and discernment. We should not be discouraged if we miss the mark in many areas. Fight on by asking the Spirit to give us practical, current targets. Right now, for example, I’m seeking to grow in patience. Unfortunately, I still have a long way to go.

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Sanctification is a broad subject. It means being set apart from sin. It includes the idea of growing in grace, becoming holy, being sanctified through the Word of God, the importance of prayer, etc. I’ll consider these matters in other post.

Let’s celebrate Freedom Forever in Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Are you being sanctified? If not, you may not be a real Christian. Give diligence to ensure you are redeemed!

(Let me know your thoughts on this subject. If you appreciate this blog, please pass it on. Further articles, books, and stories at: http://www.countrywindow.ca Facebook: Eric E Wright Twitter: @EricEWright1 LinkedIn: Eric Wright ––)

Peace in a Covid-19 World

Here in the west, we are suffering through the most intense period of uncertainty that I can remember. We’ve been 18 months dealing with Covid-19. And just when we thought the virus was licked, we hear of new variants. Anxiety is a plague among us. Even the ‘experts’ who tell us the latest findings have creases across their foreheads. Emotional problems have increased exponentially. Clearly there is a dearth of the deep peace of heart that enables a person to relax, enjoy life and sleep well.

In this 14^th post in a series celebrating redemption, I want to discuss peace as a component of redemption. There are personality traits and circumstances that make peace fleeting for some people in certain situations. However, the main source of our lack of peace can be traced to something wrong in our relationship to God.

Paul begins his great treatise on redemption by explaining that the “wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth” by denying what is clear about God from the creation and what is innately known about good and bad in the conscience. (See Rom. 1:18 -12.) The guilt that festers in the human conscience destroys peace. “’The wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. There is no peace,’ says my God, ‘for the wicked.’” (Isaiah 57:20,21). (See also Is. 48:22.)

How can one have peace if one’s conscience is troubled? The only thing to do besides turning to God in repentance and faith is either to drown the conscience with alcohol, drugs, sex or some kind of indulgence or convince oneself of the lie that all morality is relative. God doesn’t exist. That there will never be a judgement. That we all evolved from blobs of matter and morality is a figment of imagination. Good luck with that kind of doomed attempt.

But peace with God and peace of conscience waits for those who repent of their sins, confess them to God and believe in the death of Christ for their sins. As we’ve seen in previous posts, God forgives them for Jesus’ sake, justifies them, adopts them into his family and gives them a new heart. God’s wrath is turned away. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God throughout our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

To all the redeemed, Jesus promises, “Peace I leave with you: my peace I give onto you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let our hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). Isn’t this amazing? He promises us the kind of peace that he had when he was asleep in the storm-tossed boat on Galilee.

Of course, we are all tempted to worry and doubt. We may wonder at times if God really loves us. We may not have assurance of salvation, another topic in this series. To maintain the peace and tranquility of heart that is our heritage, we need to feed our souls with copious doses of Scripture. “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4; See also 2 Tim. 3:16,17).

So when we are assailed with anxiety, “let us put on the full armour of God” (See Eph. 6:10-18). May the peace of God rest upon you brother and sister!

(Let me know your thoughts on this subject. If you appreciate this blog, please pass it on. Further articles, books, and stories at: http://www.countrywindow.ca Facebook: Eric E Wright Twitter: @EricEWright1 LinkedIn: Eric Wright ––)